Harley Norman Hotchkiss, (July 12, 1927 – June 22, 2011) was a Canadian business and community leader who was best known for his contributions to health and sports development in Canada. He was part of the consortium that brought the
Atlanta Flames
The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta from 1972 until 1980. They played home games in the Omni Coliseum and were members of the West and later Patrick divisions of the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with t ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL) to
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
in 1980, and remained a part-owner of the
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
until shortly before his death. For much of that time, he was the team's governor, and hence the public face of the ownership group. He served as chairman of the board of the NHL between 1995 and 2007, and was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame
, logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg
, logo_upright = 0.5
, image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg
, caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992
, map_type =
, former_name =
, established = 1943
, location = 30 Y ...
as a builder in 2006.
A graduate of
Michigan State University
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...
in 1951 and a
geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...
by trade, Hotchkiss moved to Calgary in 1951 and began a long career in the oil and gas industry. He served as president of Alcon Petroleum into the 1960s, and started up his own companies, including Sabre Petroleum with long-time business partners
Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...
and
Doc Seaman
Daryl Kenneth "Doc" Seaman (28 April 1922 – 11 January 2009) was a Canadians, Canadian oilman and hockey executive. Seaman was the founder, president, and chairman of Bow Valley Industries, Bow Valley Industries Limited, which was one of Ca ...
. His peers remembered him as an "icon" in the industry. In 1980, he joined with
Ralph T. Scurfield
Ralph Thomas Scurfield Bachelor of Science, B.Sc (January 7, 1928 – February 18, 1985) was a Canadian businessman. He was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Nu-West Group Limited (1957–1985), and was an original owner of the Calgary ...
,
Norman Green
Norman N. Green (born June 12, 1934) is a shopping mall developer and owner from Calgary, Alberta. He was an original director and one of the principal investors in Sage Telecom, a private, telecommunications company operating in eleven US states ...
,
Norman Kwong
Norman Lim Kwong (born Kwong Lim Yew; ; October 24, 1929 – September 3, 2016) was a Canadian football player who played for the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was also an active businessman ...
and the Seaman brothers to buy the Flames and move them to Calgary.
A noted philanthropist, the
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...
's Hotchkiss Brain Institute is named in honour of his contributions. He also supported
Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada (which merged with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1994) is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority ...
, investing in the growth of the sport across the country. He was named an Officer of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
in 1997, elevated to Companion in 2009, and named to the
Alberta Order of Excellence
The Alberta Order of Excellence (french: Ordre d'excellence de l'Alberta) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Instituted in 1979 when Lieutenant Governor Frank C. Lynch-Staunton granted royal assent to the Alberta ...
in 1998. In May 2012, it was announced that a new neighbourhood in southeast Calgary,
Hotchkiss, would be named after him.
In 2009, Harley Hotchkiss along with Paul Grescoe wrote a memoir, ''Hat Trick - A Life in the Hockey Rink, Oil Patch and Community''.
References
External links
Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame induction biography*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hotchkiss, Harley
1927 births
2011 deaths
Businesspeople from Ontario
Calgary Flames owners
Canadian sports businesspeople
Companions of the Order of Canada
Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
Ice hockey in Calgary
Members of the Alberta Order of Excellence
Michigan State University alumni
National Hockey League executives
National Hockey League owners
People from Tillsonburg
Stanley Cup champions